Free Family Movie Nights begin May 25

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host a free, monthly outdoor movie series from May through August at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. The first in the series of Family Movie Nights at Joyner Park will feature the 1991 animated version of the film “Beauty and the Beast” on Saturday, May 25, at 8:30 p.m. Family Movie Nights will feature a variety of family-friendly film favorites and genres, including comedies, dramas, and action, all projected on a 26-foot inflatable movie screen in the park’s amphitheater. Future film screenings are scheduled on the following Saturdays: June 15 (Minions: The Rise of Gru), July 20 (Kung Fu Panda 4), and August 3 (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Anyone planning to attend is urged to arrive early as viewing space may be limited. Family Movie Nights are free and open to

Read More »

A little side trip into world events

100 years of history By Carol Pelosi For the past couple weeks, I have been recounting some of the history of Wake Forest from 1910 through the early 1920s. At the same time, I have reread Barbara Tuchman’s “The Zimmerman Telegram,” 200 pages outlining how skullduggery, theft, murder, intercepted telegrams and a secret corps of code-breakers turned America from massive indifference and into the bloody trenches of World War I. In 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson was re-elected on the slogan “He Kept Us Out of War,” people learned the news mostly through newspapers. Most Wake Forest residents probably did not see one from week to week, but the college professors and staff, the local businessmen and large farmers would have subscribed to one of the Raleigh newspapers, which would be delivered to town by train daily. There was much more interest in events in this hemisphere than in far-off

Read More »

Opinion: How WF building has changed since 2019

Along that fairly new section of Ligon Mill Road from South Main Street to the Dr. Calvin Jones Highway (NC 98 Bypass) there is a street that encapsulates the new style of building with one that not so long ago was the standard for a middle-income subdivision. There is a short street, Longbourn Drive in the Pemberley subdivision, which starts at Ligon Mill with six four-story brick apartment buildings referred to as “garden apartments” built in 2022. No gardens here, folks. No green either. Just brick, concrete and asphalt with parked cars. Sterile is too bland a word. This is building gulag-style, despite a few balconies. Basic compartments for humans. This shock dissipates, however, when the street begins to climb a gentle hill and enters the subdivision, the street curving as you climb. The street trees were planted close together back in 2002 so their branches form a wall of

Read More »

Rodrick Alston is the 2024 Trentini scholar

During the 2024 Trentini Foundation dinner on April 18, football standout, actor, 2023 Homecoming King and community volunteer Rodrick (Rico) Alston was named the winner of the $30,000 scholarship. Alston played football at Wake Forest High School, earning football honors including NAC-6 All Conference and NAC-6 All Academic Conference. In 2022 he was honored with the Stallion Award and in 2023 he was awarded the coveted Rock Harrison Offensive MVP Award. His senior year he was invited and participated in the 919 vs 252 All-Star Football Showcase held in Greenville, North Carolina. Rodrick was also voted as 2023 Homecoming King and has been recognized by faculty as an Outstanding Senior. Rodrick is a member of the National Achievers Society, International Thespian Society, WFHS Theatre Troupe #5099, Key Club, Drama Club and Speech and Debate Club. He enjoys acting and recently qualified for the International Thespian Festival National competition to be

Read More »

Two young WF women earn county honors

Two members of the Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club won honors on Thursday, April 25, at the Wake County Boys & Girls Club 2024 Youth of the Year Luncheon. Lola Lia was named the Wake County Futures Division winner and Caiden Mitchell was named the 2024 Wake County Youth of the Year. Caiden is the 2024 Organizational Youth of the Year. She is a senior at Wake Forest High School, plans to attend Barton College and hopes to become a high school art teacher. She has been a member of the Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club for seven years, and it helped her find her love of art and leadership. Caiden is not only a Boys & Girls Club National Arts Contest winner but is also a member of the National Keystone Conference Steering Committee. Lola is 15 years old and has been a member of the Wake

Read More »

Bits and pieces

Annual National Day of Prayer The Annual National Day or Prayer will be held in Wake Forest at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Town Hall Plaza at 301 South Brooks Street. Mayor Viviian Jones will read a proclamation urging citizens to pray for our nation. Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe will be there with the Wake Forest Police Department to honor the officers killed in Charlotte. There will be prayer from area pastors and a U.S. Army chaplain and music. ### ‘We Built This’ now at the Wake Forest Museum ‘We Built This — Profiles of Black Architects and Builders in North Carolina’ opened at the Wake Forest Historical Museum on April 16 and will remain through July. Black men and women built some of Wake Forest’s most well-known and iconic structures, including the Calvin Jones House, the South Brick House, and the stone wall that

Read More »

Six Sundays to feature the Paco Band May 5

You’re invited to help celebrate three decades of foot-tapping, finger-snapping good times during the 30th anniversary of Six Sundays in Spring. Sponsored by the Town of Wake Forest and ARTS Wake Forest, the free outdoor concert series will be offered from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on consecutive Sundays from April 28 through June 2 at the Joyner Park Amphitheater, 701 Harris Road. From big band and R&B to beach and jazz, there’s something for all music lovers at this year’s Six Sundays in Spring. On May 5, Eduardo and the Paco Band will entertain, followed by the Soul Pyschedelique Orchestra on May 12, Marcus Anderson on May 19, The Magnificents on May 26, and Sensory Expressions Band on June 2. A variety of food and dessert trucks will be on site for each concert. Concert goers are also invited to bring a picnic from home but are reminded that alcoholic beverages, unleashed

Read More »

Preserve the Connections Gala set for May 5

Save the date! Join us on Sunday, May 5, for the Second Annual Preserve the Connections event. This is an event that aims to bring together vendors, artisans, neighbors, and charities. The idea behind this event is to strengthen the connections within our communities. Regina Jones and Kimberly Wieberg, both residents of Preserve at Smith Creek and small business entrepreneurs, have teamed up to organize an event that you just can’t miss. Regina, from OnWire Real Estate, says that she is “excited to connect with community members, entrepreneurs, and the two amazing charities that will benefit from this wonderful event.” This year we have added a three level sponsorship opportunity.  Hearth Counseling & Consulting ( hearthcc.com ) is the first to agree to support the event by being a vendor sponsor.  Vendor Sponsorship is set up into three levels to fit any size of company/vendor/organization: Bronze Level: $100 or more  donation receives social

Read More »

RenCen offering concerts and special events

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre is introducing a series of concerts and special events from June through August featuring nationally renowned acts and performers. The “Summer at the Centre” Performance Series gets underway with The Embers: Featuring Craig Woolard on Saturday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m., continues with Malpass Brothers concerts on Saturday, July 27, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and concludes with Murder Mystery Dinners on Saturday, Aug. 24, at noon and 6:30 p.m. Tickets to these events and performances are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.wakeforestrencen.org, in person at the RC Box Office, or by calling 919-435-9458. Renaissance Centre Partners, Patrons, and Friends can purchase their tickets now. For more information about ways you can support the Renaissance Centre, visit https://www.wakeforestrencen.org/donate. For more information about the “Summer at the Centre” Performance Series, email Renaissance Centre Director Debbie Dunn at ddunn@wakeforestnc.gov.  The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre (RC),

Read More »

Free Expressive Arts Series in May, June

The Town of Wake Forest, the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, and Resources for Seniors are partnering with Village of C.A.R.E. to offer a free Expressive Arts Series at the Northern Wake Senior Center, 235 E. Holding Ave., from 10 a.m.-noon on the following Saturdays in May and June: May 4, 11, 18 and June 1, 15, 22, and 29. Open to families and people of all ages, the intergenerational arts classes will encourage participants to discover how expressive arts can be therapeutic and foster meaningful connections by creating their own music, paintings, poetry, ceramics, quilting, dances, and more. Online registration is required at www.ohwci.com/events. For more information, call 919-714-3854. This event is part of the Town of Wake Forest’s “Focus on Mental Wellness” series. For more information about the Town’s commitment to mental wellness, visit https://bit.ly/FocusonMentalWellness or email Community Outreach Manager Andrew Brown, Jr. at abrown@wakeforestnc.gov.  The Town of Wake Forest, the Wake Forest

Read More »